Olympus VR-340 vs Sony A230

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A230, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the VR-340 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the VR-340 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The VR-340 was revealed 2 years later than the A230 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-340 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the VR-340 scores versus the A230 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-340 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VR-340 Gallery & Sony A230 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus VR-340 offers outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

See the Olympus VR-340 versus Sony A230 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the VR-340 vs the A230.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the VR-340 and A230 is 96 and 69 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-340 and A230.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The VR-340 using its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Olympus VR-340 will offer greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more modern VR-340 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.